Daily Archives: June 30, 2011

Like most everyone else these days, I enjoy frittering away my time discovering new, amazing and inspirational things on Pinterest.

What is Pinterest you ask?

Actually Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. Their mission is to connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting. We think that a favorite book, toy, or recipe can reveal a common link between two people. With millions of new pins added every week, Pinterest is connecting people all over the world based on shared tastes and interests.

That’s right. Yet another way to be connected through social media. No, I’m not wasting my time. I’m getting inspired and connected. That’s what I tell my darling husband. To prove it I shared with my circus today’s inspiration which has been re-pinned all over Pinterest boards.

And even though I can’t even begin to pretend that this is a food blog, I just had to try this recipe and share it with you all…especially my sister, Ange, who can attest to the truth that I do not bake, not at all. But I did make this…from scratch. Thank goodness most of the ingredients were already in my pantry because Ange likes to bake when she visits me.

Red Velvet Brownies with White Chocolate Buttercream Frostingsource: adapted from How Sweet It Is

To make the brownies:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8″x8″ baking pan.

In a small bowl, slowly stir together the cocoa powder, food coloring, and 1 tsp vanilla into a thick paste until not lumps of cocoa remain. Set aside.

They warn you to be careful with the red food coloring because it stains.

They weren’t kidding.

At least I only got it all over my fingers and nothing else.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the remaining 1 tsp of vanilla. With the mixer off, add in the cocoa mixture, then turn the mixer to medium and beat the two mixtures together until they are one uniform color. Slowly add in the flour and salt and mix on medium-low speed, just until combined. Do not overmix.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir up the batter with a rubber spatula once or twice just to ensure all of the flour has incorporated from the sides of the bowl and there isn’t anything stuck on the bottom of the bowl. You’ll want one uniformly colored (red) batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the brownies. Allow brownies to completely cool in the pan on a baking rack, about 45-60 minutes.

To make the frosting:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter until soft and fluffy then beat in the vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add in powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time; allow the sugar to mix in before adding the next 1/2 cup. Once all of the sugar has been added, beat on medium speed for 30 seconds and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add in the melted white chocolate and beat on medium speed until incorporated. With the mixer on low, add in heavy cream 1 tbsp at a time and beat at medium speed until the frosting has reached your desired consistency.

Frost brownies in the pan, cut into 12 bars, and serve, or remove the entire batch from the pan to a cutting board, cut into 12 bars, frost, and serve.

Please tell me that you weren’t expecting pretty perfection…I mean it was me, the lady who doesn’t bake making these for the first time.

Nevertheless, they were absolutely delicious.

See?

That little boy’s smile proves that I’m not wasting my time on Pinterest.